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mauricee_'s review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
harold_phipps's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Damn George. Having watched the series I knew where this was going but damn… still hit me and still felt shocked. The words, the world, the characters 👌. Keen to keep going
kaylajean324's review against another edition
3.0
I started and stopped this book many times over the last 10 years. It was very big and quite intimidating because of that.
Overall, it was very well written. It’s a good fantasy book, and I see why so many people love it. I’m not 100% sold on if I’ll continue the series or not, but once I got into this book (it took me around 25% to get invested) it was an enjoyable read.
Overall, it was very well written. It’s a good fantasy book, and I see why so many people love it. I’m not 100% sold on if I’ll continue the series or not, but once I got into this book (it took me around 25% to get invested) it was an enjoyable read.
shelovesmar's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
sailormarz's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
angelsbutchery's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
golly_missmolly's review against another edition
5.0
Very good, a lot of social and religious allusions.
bmoreravenguy's review against another edition
4.0
Overall, it is a very good detailed book set in a fantastic world filled with dragons, undead, and magic, among other things.
lizzie04's review against another edition
Great start to the series, although I think I’ll switch over to the physical copies. The narrator annoyed me a little in how he would use this gnarled old man voice for even young male characters. I also just think I would have absorbed the sheer amount of lore better in word form, but that is my own fault.
In terms of content, since I watched the show first I’m a little more in love with season 1 of GoT, and since it follows this book pretty faithfully I already knew the major story beats. But, this is incredibly well-written and engaging on audiobook despite its 34-hour length. Being inside these character’s heads helped me sympathize even more with them. GRRM is also just one of those male fantasy authors who does amazing work with all his characters whereas many male authors fulfill the stereotype of only being good at writing men. It is especially impressive how he makes you care about the Stark children's POVs and, although I dislike Catelyn, I enjoy her POV a lot too.
The only notable downside is the same reason I previously swore to never read these books or watch the show years ago—Daenerys is simply too young for her arc, I’m glad the show aged her up to 16 years. Loved seeing her development and how she grows way past being defined by the men in her life, but I cannot be anything except profoundly grossed out when reading a 13 year old’s sex scenes with a much older man, medieval times, and ‘realism’ be damned. I do not see why the older child characters could not have been aged up knowing the hefty leadership positions they will be in (Robb, Jon, Dany). They’re so young to the point that it takes me out of the story, starting in their late teens would have been more reasonable and relatable.
Otherwise, I’m compelled to continue and excited to see how the books deviate from the show. I do not particularly care that this series is unfinished, just do not want to be disappointed by its progression the way I was with GoT after season 4. I love this world and want to sink into its source material, plus Fire & Blood.
In terms of content, since I watched the show first I’m a little more in love with season 1 of GoT, and since it follows this book pretty faithfully I already knew the major story beats. But, this is incredibly well-written and engaging on audiobook despite its 34-hour length. Being inside these character’s heads helped me sympathize even more with them. GRRM is also just one of those male fantasy authors who does amazing work with all his characters whereas many male authors fulfill the stereotype of only being good at writing men. It is especially impressive how he makes you care about the Stark children's POVs and, although I dislike Catelyn, I enjoy her POV a lot too.
The only notable downside is the same reason I previously swore to never read these books or watch the show years ago—Daenerys is simply too young for her arc, I’m glad the show aged her up to 16 years. Loved seeing her development and how she grows way past being defined by the men in her life, but I cannot be anything except profoundly grossed out when reading a 13 year old’s sex scenes with a much older man, medieval times, and ‘realism’ be damned. I do not see why the older child characters could not have been aged up knowing the hefty leadership positions they will be in (Robb, Jon, Dany). They’re so young to the point that it takes me out of the story, starting in their late teens would have been more reasonable and relatable.
Otherwise, I’m compelled to continue and excited to see how the books deviate from the show. I do not particularly care that this series is unfinished, just do not want to be disappointed by its progression the way I was with GoT after season 4. I love this world and want to sink into its source material, plus Fire & Blood.